Multnomah County staff on Tuesday presented a plan to finish the county’s Americans with Disabilities Act transition work within 10 years, saying 435 curb ramps remain and outlining costs and funding options.

Transportation Division Director John Hendrickson told the Board the county’s 2023 ADA transition plan identified 530 non‑compliant or missing ramps and estimated about $38 million in 2023 dollars to bring those locations into compliance. Since adoption, staff said, 148 ramp projects have been completed through capital projects, private development agreements and one‑time general fund allocations; 435 ramps remain in the transition plan.

The 10‑year delivery approach groups remaining ramps into eight geographic "packages," each worked through a roughly three‑year cycle of design, right‑of‑way and construction. Hendrickson estimated a per‑ramp cost in 2026 dollars of $50,000, which includes roughly $10,000 for design, $5,000 for right‑of‑way and $35,000 for construction; staff applied a 20 percent contingency to bundle estimates to cover unforeseen complications.

Hendrickson said staff modeled multiple financing options. A pay‑as‑you‑go approach would phase annual allocations by fiscal year as projects cycle; a 20‑year bond to cover the program cost (cited in presentation as roughly $31 million) would lower annual principal payments but raise total interest costs (presentation numbers: about $19.8 million in interest on a 20‑year bond and roughly $2.5 million annual payment). A 10‑year bond compresses interest but increases annual payments (presentation numbers: roughly $7.2 million in interest and about $3.8 million annual payment for a 10‑year bond).

After modeling tradeoffs, staff recommended the pay‑as‑you‑go model, funded through a combination of general‑fund one‑time allocations, state highway fund dollars and the motor‑vehicle rental tax when it becomes available for this purpose (staff noted the rental‑tax revenue would not be eligible until 2031). Hendrickson said the county could accelerate work in any year that additional one‑time funds were available.

Commissioners pressed staff on operational details and tradeoffs: whether ramps should be installed at intersections before adjoining sidewalks exist (Hendrickson said the county generally installs ramps when touching an intersection but cautioned future sidewalk design changes may require ramp rework), the consequence of using state highway funds for ADA work (staff said using those funds reduces capacity for maintenance and other capital needs), and the scale of prior one‑time funding (staff estimated roughly $5–$6 million across three recent one‑time allocations).

Commissioner Moyer, who brought the budget note, said the plan should be a countywide priority and emphasized the opportunity to structure projects so small and minority‑ and women‑owned contractors can compete during a construction slowdown. The board did not take formal action; staff said the report submitted with the briefing contains the full analysis and will inform budget conversations for FY27 and beyond.

What's next: staff recommended incorporation of the plan into future budget deliberations and external outreach to cities after the board provides input. The presentation and its appendix with bundle maps and schedules were provided to the board for reference.